NOT
SO FAST—Increased traffic enforcement
on campus to slow down speeders—and reduce accidents
as a result—keeps Sacramento State police officers
such as Anthony Tabadisto busy.

Stepped-up
traffic enforcement on the Sacramento State campus has resulted
in a steep drop in vehicle accidents and a sharp increase
in the number of citations issued for traffic violations,
according to the latest safety report issued by the Department
of Public Safety.

“There
has been a concern about the speed of traffic on the south
end of campus, along stretches such as State University Drive
West,” said Ken Barnett, director of public safety.
“As a result, we wanted to have increased visibility
on the main roadways to slow down traffic for everyone’s
safety. And it looks like we are beginning to have some success.”

Barnett
said that traffic flow and vehicle accidents on campus have
become more of a focus for Public Safety as the University
has added perimeter roads and created access to student parking
from Folsom Blvd. In response, the department created a traffic
plan that includes enforcement and education to deal with
the estimated 28,000 vehicles that come to campus each school
day.

Part of
the plan calls for making officers and their cars very visible
to motorists on campus.

‘We
are not trying to trap drivers, but enforce the traffic rules
we have,” Barnett said. “We want to remind people
that the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. However, the average
speed has been creeping up to about 35 miles per hour or more
on those stretches,” Barnett said, adding that those
roads also include State University Drive South and State
University Drive East.

As
part of the traffic plan, officers made more vehicle stops
last year, 1,402 in 2004 compared to 1,189 in 2003 and issued
more traffic citations for infractions such as speeding in
2004 (511) than in 2003 (384). Officers also made nearly three
times as many misdemeanor traffic arrests for offenses such
as driving with a suspended license in 2004 (88) than in 2003
(33). “It is during these stops that officers can advise
motorists about safety and speed issues, but we also uncover
more serious violations,” Barnett said.

Meanwhile,
the number of vehicle accidents dropped by more than half
from 126 in 2003 to 58 in 2004, a decrease that Barnett attributed
to the increased traffic enforcement.

Traffic
isn’t the only area that received additional attention
from public safety. Barnett said an emphasis on crime prevention
can be linked to a substantial reduction in the number of
auto burglaries, dropping to 80 in 2004 from 124 in 2003.

“To
lessen the chance of someone breaking into your car, we have
tried to stress the importance of getting valuables out of
sight, closing all windows, parking in a safe area and just
making sure you lock your car doors, even though you are in
a hurry,” Barnett said.

One of
the most popular crime prevention programs on campus returns
by early next year — the police officer sports card
collection. Similar to baseball cards, the wallet-size, color
cards feature individual pictures of police officers from
the Sacramento State Department of Public Safety. The back
of each card contains biographical information on the officer
and a safety tip such as “Always lock up your car, bike
and other valuables.”

Barnett
said the cards were wildly successful when they debuted in
2001. “People were trading them around and trying to
get complete sets,” he said. “The cards also helped
us get people thinking about things they can do to prevent
crime and it gave us visibility in helping people get to know
our officers.”

To also
create greater visibility, the department plans to have two
officers permanently assigned to bikes patrolling the campus
as well as officers spending more time on foot patrol inside
campus buildings, Barnett said.

The
Department of Public Safety’s Safety Report, which is
issued every two years, is available online at www.csus.edu/police/.